Battlefield 3 Open Beta Launches

Today DICE is opening up their military shooter Battlefield 3 for testing. The open beta is already available for download on the Xbox 360 and PC and will arrive on the PS3 by the end of the day.

The beta allows players to experience the Operation Métro map in Rush mode. Rush mode is an attack/defend game type. One team attempts to blow up pairs of M-COM stations while the other team must hold them off until the attackers run out of respawns.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the BF3 beta can be found at their respective online marketplaces. Just go wherever you normally download demos from. The PC edition requires you to install Origin, EA's digital gaming platform. The beta can be found under the "Free Games" section of Origin.

Players who pre-ordered the digital PC version of BF3 have had access to the beta since the 27th, as have owners of the Limited or Tier 1 Editions of Medal of Honor. That, coupled with the fact that Battlefield is a long-running series, means that the competition might be stiff in the beta. Series newcomers who would prefer not to be easy prey should read these beta tips from DICE:

1) Stick to your team mates, and remember to spawn on them to stay close to the fight.

2) Use your kit specific abilities to help your team mates. Assault can hand out med kits, Engineers can repair vehicles, and Support can hand out ammo.

3) Make sure when you have armed an M-COM station, that you defend it to make sure it is destroyed.

4) The bombed-out tunnel section in Operation Métro is an excellent place to use a flashlight as one of your weapon attachments. Use it to light the tunnels up – and to blind your enemies.

5) Attach bipods to your weapon and deploy it automatically by pushing up against cover or going prone and zooming in – this gives you a huge increase in accuracy and stability.